As the effort to recall Gov. Scott Walker begins its 60-day push to get enough signatures to trigger a special election, organizers are concerned about the harassment several recall workers have received in the first week.

Sun Prairie resident and United Wisconsin recall worker Heather DuBois Bourenane said she received an anonymous phone call at 4 a.m. last Thursday.

She said the caller addressed her by name and threatened her and her family.

“He just said I had attracted the attention of some very bad people and my life and the lives of my family were in danger,” Bourenane said.

Bourenane said there is no one she considers an enemy, and given the timeliness of the recall it has been more than apparent that the call was politically motivated.

Sun Prairie Police Department Sgt. Cathleen Messenger said SPPD was notified of the threat made to Bourenane. She said an investigation was implemented in regards to the matter and is ongoing.

Police have identified that the call was made from a cell phone with a Minnesota area code, Bourenane said. The same number may also be the source of similar calls made against a resident of Madison and another from Brookfield.

On Saturday, Bourenane was one of several speakers at a rally in support of the recall against Walker that brought between 25,000 and 30,000 people to the Capitol.

Prior to the event, Bourenane said recall organizers were contacted about the threat, and additional security was supplied.

Within the first week of recall efforts against the governor that began last Tuesday, Bourenane said recall organizers and petitioners across the state have been the victims of verbal harassment and property damage.

“Every day, we have dozens of people screaming ‘you’ll be dead tomorrow’ and ‘die Nazis’ from their cars,” she said.

One recall worker had the air let out of her tires, she said, and a large number of people have had “Recall Walker” signs vandalized or stolen.

Bourenane said she hoped both Democratic and Republican legislators, as well as the governor, would speak out against this harassment. She said the governor is helping to condone the activity by not publicly addressing the behavior of several of his supporters, and his attitude towards his detractors and protesters has helped encourage this behavior.

Representatives from Walker’s office were unavailable for comment Monday evening.